Nearly 30 interns on a groundbreaking nature scheme in the New Forest have gone on to work or volunteer in the environment sector.
Since September 2023, the Countryside Education Trust (CET), in Beaulieu, has provided 27 internship opportunities for young people aged 16-25. The aim was to create options for young people and career changers to gain paid work experience in the environmental sector to help them make the jump from volunteering into employment. This was achieved through a combination of long and short-term internships.
The extended internships ranged from two to six months, with interns working one or two set days each. These were designed to fit around other commitments, such as work, education, family as well as the staff capacity at the CET. Each intern was allocated a project supervisor who advised and worked with them on their project throughout their internship.
The roles these interns undertook included: livestock checker, social media and admin, event support, children’s ‘Owls club’ assistant, creating an audio trail, coppicing, managing a vegetable garden, running a pop-up shop and renovating a herb bed.
The CET also hosted several short-term interns together for a week at a time, with residential options to stay on site. Some of the projects undertaken by the interns included: creating a nature awareness code of conduct for visitors to the farm site, production of a calendar for 2025, and a practical project in the heritage orchard.
The residential option enabled the Trust to broaden the offer to applicants from across the UK. The short-term nature of the programme also meant more flexibility for those who were working or in education.
Since completing their projects, all the interns have either found paid roles in a related field or have continued their connection with the environmental sector through further education or volunteering.
Casey Spry produced an audio trail during her internship at the CET and is now working for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust on the Solent Seascape project. In June 2026, she led a coastal discovery session for the New Forest Junior Rangers. She said: ‘Getting paid while learning on the job helped support me whilst I looked for full time work and helped me build valuable skills for my CV. Ultimately, working at the CET gave me a kickstart into the industry.
‘The experience I gained helped me secure my first full-time role as Marine Engagement Officer working on the Solent Seascape Project. I’ve loved engaging local communities in the amazing marine life we find in the Solent and raising awareness of the marine restoration work happening.’
Charlie Marchant now works part-time at the CET as a centre assistant and as a volunteer coordinator. Charlie was introduced to the Trust prior to his internship, through The Parks Foundation’s Young Adult Ranger Work Experience programme. Read more about Charlie’s story here.
CET operations manager Anna Barnard said: ‘It’s important to provide this type of experience for young people because they need to be able to access opportunities to supplement their academic learning with practical hands-on experiences. Offering the internships as a paid programme also breaks down a barrier for those who can’t afford to take unpaid time off to gain experience.
‘It was immensely rewarding and the young people brought a different perspective to the work that we do.’
The internships at the CET, Junior Rangers at the New Forest National Park Authority and The Parks Foundation’s Young Adult Ranger Work Experience programme are part of the Youth for Climate and Nature (YouCAN) scheme, led by the NPA.
New Forest National Park Authority member and chair of the YouCAN board, James Wylor-Owen said: ‘The YouCAN scheme has been very successful in breaking down barriers for young people to step into or progress in their green careers. The flexibility of the internship programmes at the CET is a great example of this.’
YouCAN was made possible thanks to National Lottery Players, through which £1.2 million was secured from a Climate Action Fund grant from The National Lottery Community Fund – the largest community funder in the UK – and a further £264,000 in match funding from partners.
The projects within the scheme span 300 square miles across the New Forest, Southampton and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, and are led by the New Forest National Park Authority in partnership with the Countryside Education Trust in Beaulieu; Freshwater Habitats Trust; The Parks Foundation in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole; Southampton National Park City project; Theatre for Life, and care and support charity Alabaré. You can find out more about YouCAN here.